I have been on a mission this year. To Simplify. That is part of the reason it has been so quiet around here. I’ve been working on re-prioritizing what needs to get done and when. Now, you may think that that shouldn’t take eleven months, right? It’s been a big job, let me tell you!
But anyway, today’s post is not about where I’ve been, but where I’m going and something that I think is going to be one of my most key instruments in keeping things streamlined.
In this day and age we are inundated with paper. Credit card companies, utility companies and even our banks encourage going paperless and receiving statements by email. That is a scary thing for most of us (possibly excluding newer generations coming up). Piles of paper, even if they’ve already been processed, can be stressful for many business owners and individuals alike. I know I get overwhelmed thinking about my filing and what DO I do with all of those cash register receipts? ARRRRGH. I feel a little anxious just typing about it.
But not anymore. Enter NeatReceipts Digital Filing System.
Say goodbye to piles of paper that you keep “just in case you get audited” and really, you never look at it again. Goodbye to bankers boxes of old statements that you think you need to hold onto for five years. More space, less stress, I can already feel it.
I just got the small version for Mac and I can tell you that I already feel lighter and better. It took a little figuring out to get it to recognize the drivers but I suspect that is because my version is for Mac. The process involves inserting your paper into the streamline scanner, pressing scan, letting it do it’s magic and you are rewarded with a digital image stored on your computer (via the NeatReceipts software) in pdf form as well as key information being picked up and sorted/catalogued into a database that is easy to search and shuffle.
If you are inundated with paper and filing, you might want to consider this gadget. I don’t get anything for this review, I’m just very happy and wanted to share it with you.
Throughout the years I’ve encountered artists who are consciously documenting their work. That is, they make sure to photograph or keep current work for their archives. In this digital age it is easy to document our work and if you sell online you are creating a photo history already.
I remember visiting with Kate Drew-Wilkinson and taking a walk through her past via neat containers of beads that she has held back throughout her life. They document her long and interesting history in bead and jewelry making for over 20 years. They tell the story of her life. Last year at the Gathering Harold Cooney gave a presentation and talked about holding back some of his best work for himself while creating inventory for shows.
I’ve often thought of this and have been very consistent in photographing everything that leaves the studio. This passion has renewed lately as I’ve been documenting color studies that I’ve been working on.
I printed these pages out for reference and noticed that the colors weren’t exactly accurate and the beads looked nowhere as brilliant in print. I realized that if I wanted to document accurately I’d need to keep a set of each. So, that is my next challenge to work on. Documenting my work by keeping actual pieces.
The next step then is cataloging them. It’s great to have a record with a photo or the actual piece, but who is going to tell its story when you’re long gone? I need to come up with a system of describing, dating and explaining the time period and processes. This is one of those things that sounds like a lot of work but once it’s done it feels so good.
What about you? Do you document your work? What method do you use?
I received a blog comment asking if the tutorials I wrote for automating your digital image editing can be done with Photoshop Elements. Since I haven’t been into Elements since versions 2 I had to google. What I found was both disappointing, encouraging and exciting for you Elements users!
Disappointing because no, you cannot create actions in Photoshop Elements. Encouraging because you can use pre-made Photoshop actions. EXCITING because there is a huge amount of free, pre-made actions! Read the great blog post on Digital Photography for Moms about actions and find out where you can find them free for Elements.
That should get you pointed in the right direction for using actions in Elements…if it doesn’t take off on a total different track with all of the possibilities available.
Thank you for the question and keep them coming!
